Why talented Notre Dame legacy recruiting target Trent Mosley has high interest in the Irish
Trent Mosley has Notre Dame in his blood. The 2026 wide receiver from Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic is a double Fighting Irish legacy recruit and embraces it.
His father, Emmett Mosley IV, played wide receiver and running back for the Irish from 1993-96. His mother, Cindy Daws Mosley, was a standout women’s soccer player during that same period. She captured the Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top player in 1996.
Trent Mosley is an outstanding athlete in his own right. He already has 13 football scholarship offers and is coming off a phenomenal junior season at Santa Margarita Catholic. In 11 games, he caught 81 passes for 1,282 yards (15.6 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns.
Despite other schools already involved in his recruitment, his reverence for Notre Dame has come naturally. After all, he learned about the university’s prestige plenty growing up.
“I’ve been around it my whole life,” Mosley told Blue & Gold. “We used to live in Illinois, so it was only like a two-hour drive to South Bend … They have an amazing education. It’s not only for football. It’s more than football. When you’re done with football, you have a great degree in whatever you choose.
“That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learned, especially from my dad. The culture and vibe are really great for people to come in. It’s a great fit for almost everyone.”
Over the last few years, Mosley saw Notre Dame in a different light. His brother, Emmett Mosley V, was an Irish football recruit. However, the three-star wide receiver signed with Stanford in the 2024 cycle. Even though Emmett chose elsewhere, Trent said that would not affect his recruitment.
“No, not at all,” Trent said. “We’re different types of players and receivers. I just feel like I just have to choose where I feel best. So, it has nothing to do with where he went to college. It’s not going to influence me or anything. I still really like Notre Dame.”
While Trent might not ultimately side with Emmett’s decision, he still absorbed much about being a college football prospect as a bystander in his brother’s recruitment.
“I really think it’s about how you feel there and where you can see yourself,” he said. “(Emmett) said his biggest factors were the coaches he spent the most time with, his future teammates and the area.
“So, I need to focus on what type of coaches I like — the wide receiver coach, strength coach and head coach. I’ll need to spend time with the team when I go on official visits.”
Trent Mosley hearing from Notre Dame wide receivers coach Mike Brown
Trent Mosley is about another year away from embarking on those all-important official visits. By then, the coaches he currently connects with could be on different teams or have different positions. This has already happened once in the early stages of his recruitment.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman dismissed former wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey after the 2023 regular season. Stuckey was Emmett’s primary recruiter and one of the coaches that offered Trent.
Freeman tapped Wisconsin wide receivers coach Mike Brown to replace Stuckey in December. Although Trent is just a high school sophomore, he has already been in touch with the first-year Notre Dame assistant coach.
“In January, I called Coach Brown, and he was talking about Pot of Gold Day when they offer 2026 recruits,” Mosley said. “It was my first time meeting him because of the switch-up. He just got there and stuff. So, it was cool to get connected.”
Mosley actually meant Brown before that phone call. Brown was in California recruiting during the NCAA January contact period and had face time with Mosley. His initial impressions of Brown are positive.
“I really like him,” Mosley said. “We were just talking about his coaching style. I feel like that fits me and what I’m about. I feel like we connected and clicked since I’ve talked to him the first few times, which is really good.”
Mosley originally being from the Midwest works in Notre Dame’s favor
Of Mosley’s 13 scholarship offers, eight are from programs out West: Arizona, Oregon, San Diego State, Stanford, Southern California, UNLV, Utah and Washington. In addition to Notre Dame, he holds ones outside the West from Michigan, Michigan State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
Mosley is from Mount Prospect, Illinois, in the northwest Chicago suburbs. He moved to Southern California in 2020, his seventh-grade year. His college football recruitment is early, but Mosley wouldn’t rule out a return to the Midwest.
“The weather is nice over here and everything, but if I base my decision off the area, the weather and how nice it is, that will make my college experience bad,” he said. “I have to base it off the right things — how I feel about the team and the coaches and what they represent. So, it really doesn’t affect me at all.
“Especially because I used to live out there — the weather would be cold, but I’ve already felt it, so it won’t be too cold.”
Luckily for Mosley, he might not have to fight snowfall during his next trip to South Bend. He is eyeing spring visits to Stanford and Notre Dame. He is also interested in USC, UCLA and Texas.
Still, Mosley wanted to clarify: he appreciates his Notre Dame lineage and plans to prioritize the Irish.
“I just love Notre Dame,” he said. “It’s definitely one of my top options. I would love to keep in contact with them and get up there soon.”
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